Veresen Inc.
Headnote
Multilateral Instrument 11-102 Passport System and National Policy 11-203 Process for Exemptive Relief Applications in Multiple Jurisdictions -- relief from the requirement that financial statements be prepared in accordance with Canadian GAAP applicable to publically accountable enterprises to permit an issuer, who is not an SEC Issuer, to prepare its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP for its financial years that begin on or after 1 January 2012 but before 1 January 2015.
Applicable Legislative Provisions
National Instrument 52-107 Acceptable Accounting Principles, Auditing Standards and Reporting Currency.
Citation: Veresen Inc., Re, 2011 ABASC 380
July 15, 2011
IN THE MATTER OF
THE SECURITIES LEGISLATION OF
ALBERTA AND ONTARIO
(the Jurisdictions)
AND
IN THE MATTER OF
THE PROCESS FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF
APPLICATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS
AND
IN THE MATTER OF
VERESEN INC. (the Filer)
DECISION
Background
The securities regulatory authority or regulator in each of the Jurisdictions (the Decision Maker) has received an application from the Filer for a decision under the securities legislation of the Jurisdictions (the Legislation) exempting the Filer from the requirements under subsection 3.2(1) of National Instrument 52-107 Acceptable Accounting Principles and Auditing Standards (NI 52-107) that financial statements be prepared in accordance with Canadian GAAP applicable to publicly accountable enterprises and disclose an unreserved statement of compliance with IFRS or International Accounting Standard 34 Interim Financial Reporting, as applicable (the Exemption Sought) to permit the Filer to prepare its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP for its financial years that begin on or after 1 January 2012 but before 1 January 2015.
Under the Process for Exemptive Relief Applications in Multiple Jurisdictions (for a dual application):
(a) the Alberta Securities Commission is the principal regulator for this application;
(b) the Filer has provided notice that subsection 4.7(1) of Multilateral Instrument 11-102 Passport System (MI 11-102) is intended to be relied upon in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Québec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island; and
(c) this decision is the decision of the principal regulator and evidences the decision of the securities regulatory authority or regulator in Ontario.
Interpretation
Terms defined in National Instrument 14-101 Definitions, MI 11-102, National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations or NI 52-107 have the same meaning if used in this decision, unless otherwise defined herein.
Representations
This decision is based on the following facts represented by the Filer:
1. The Filer is a corporation incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta). The head office of the Filer is in Calgary, Alberta.
2. The Filer is a reporting issuer or equivalent in the Jurisdictions and each of the Passport Jurisdictions and, to its knowledge, is not in default of securities legislation in any jurisdiction in Canada in which it is a reporting issuer.
3. The Filer is not an SEC issuer.
4. The Filer has "activities subject to rate regulation", as defined in the Handbook.
5. As a "qualifying entity" for the purposes of section 5.4 of NI 52-107, the Filer is permitted by that provision to prepare its financial statements for its financial year commencing 1 January 2011 and ending 31 December 2011 in accordance with Canadian GAAP -- Part V of the Handbook.
6. Were the Filer an SEC issuer, it would be permitted by section 3.7 of NI 52-107 to file its financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which accords treatment of "activities subject to rate regulation" similar to that under Canadian GAAP -- Part V.
Decision
Each of the Decision Makers is satisfied that the decision meets the test set out in the Legislation for the Decision Maker to make the decision.
7. The decision of the Decision Makers under the Legislation is that the Exemption Sought is granted provided that:
(a) for its financial years commencing on or after 1 January 2012 but before 1 January 2015 and interim periods therein, the Filer files its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP; and
(b) information for comparative periods presented in the financial statements referred to in paragraph (a) is prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
8. The Exemption Sought will terminate in respect of the Filer's financial statements for annual and interim periods commencing on or after the earlier of:
(a) 1 January 2015; and
(b) the date on which the Filer ceases to have "activities subject to rate regulation" as defined in the Handbook as at the date of this decision.